Jolly Pumpkin Special Offer - November 2018

We're really excited about this Rare Beer Club Special Offer and you will be too! It's the first time we've ever been able to secure 4 uber-rare, extremely limited-production beers from our good friends at Jolly Pumpkin. Three of the four are one-off collaborations that you won't want to miss. They're really special and when they're gone, they're gone for good. The fourth is the 2017 vintage of one of our all-time holiday favorites, which hasn't been seen in some time. All four will be fun to share or gift over the holidays!

Prost!
Kris Calef
President

For the PDF version of the Special Offer Newsletter, Click Here. The order form follows the beer descriptions below. To jump to the order form now, Click Here.

Problem No Problem (collab. beer w/ Monkish Brewing Co.)

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales – Dexter, Michigan

Style: Saison w/ Lentils, Sugar, Orange Peel & Spices

ABV: 7.6%

Serving Temp: 43–50° F

Suggested Glassware: Tulip, Teku, or Chardonnay Glass

There's all kinds of interesting stuff happening in this one-off Jolly Pumpkin collab with Monkish Brewing. This briskly tart saison is brewed with a combination of raw sugar, sweet and bitter orange peel, green lentils, and "a funky homemade curry spice blend (cumin, ginger, mustard seed, peppercorns, coriander, and fenugreek, if you must know.)" For how potent that sounds, we're surprised to find an incredibly refreshing and tart saison that's reminiscent of our favorite versions of Jolly Pumpkin's Bam Bière: briskly sour citrus, super refreshing, and built with a subtle bitterness around the periphery, keeping everything lean.

This pours a deep, honeyed and slightly hazy golden color, sunny and juicy in the glass. There's a dense layering of white foam that's continuously replenished from effervescence underneath. The aromatics here are particularly crisp and refreshing, leading with lean citrus like fresh lime and lemon, a subtle funk behind it, but ultimately a tightly wound core of funky wild yeast character revolving around citrus. The sweet and bitter orange peel might be the most potent of the special additions, bringing lively secondary notes. The blended spice additions remain subtle and stay on the periphery, appearing as hints of pepper and warming spice.

At 7.6%, it's impressive how lean and refreshing this beer feels. The lentil additions seem to mostly be used as a fermentable, while those orange peels and the curry spice blend come through on the edges, adding some engaging, spicy structure that serves in place of overt hop bitterness. There's beautiful, subtle structure to this beer. The core focus of fresh lemon-lime, citrus-driven tartness carries this one, carrying through that delicious brightness of Bam Bière, with fresh-cut citruses and tightly spun funk and salinity. There's firm sourness, bracing but effortlessly refreshing, and there's a super-easy-drinking beer at the core of this experience.

Best Lei'd Plans

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales – Dexter, Michigan

Style:Oak-Aged Biere w/ Grapefruit Juice & Cherry Juice

ABV: 6.9%

Serving Temp: 43–50° F

Suggested Glassware: Tulip, Teku, or Chardonnay Glass

Another incredibly refreshing release from Jolly Pumpkin, this oak-aged collab with Big Island Brewhaus is one of three one-off releases Jolly Pumpkin did with the brewery, and this one apparently didn't see much if any distribution to the mainland. Best Lei'd Plans was a relatively small run, with about 30 barrels blended.

This oak-aged sour beer pours a juicy, golden-orange color, like a well-hazed saison, capped by bright white foam. The head's well maintained, with resilient lacing around the edges. The bright citrus of the ferment, coupled with vibrant expressions from the grapefruit and cherry juice additions, come together with potent fruit in the aromatics. There's juicy grapefruit, tart lemon, round touches of cherry and passion fruit. Subtle funk and the hint of salinity suggest lambic-like texture, but there's a streamlined citrus at the core of this, similar to Problem No Problem (and Bam Bière). It's a bold, mouthwatering tart citrus focus that grabs our interest.

This proves to be a pitch-perfect release from Jolly Pumpkin, with the influence of cherry and grapefruit juices a touch subtle at first, as the beer's kept anchored by its tart, citrusy core. But with a touch of time to warm up, that plump cherry character comes through, and the grapefruit presence feels almost pulpy. There's some zesty, citrusy fruit character in this beer, at all turns. Lively carbonation underpins salty-citrus tartness, while soft touches of vanilla-tinged oak provide a bit of tannic texture around the periphery. There's plenty of potent, tart oomph to this, and just great balance of complexity and core citrus. This Big Island Brewhaus collab brings a ton of classic Jolly Pumpkin expression, plus complementary additions of grapefruit and cherry juice, and it's packed with juicy fruit character throughout.

Lo-Fi Mai Tai pours a rich, honeyed-orange color capped by off-white foam. The bright citrus acidity is present immediately, coming through with potent lemon and grapefruit. The funky house character of Jolly Pumpkin comes through with a hint of salinity, while notes of lime juice and sweet almond appear at the perimeter. This is vibrantly tart, packed with fresh citrus, while Mai-Tai undercurrents roll through calmly.

It would definitely pair well with a beach. The assertive core of tart citrus fruits-lemon, grapefruit, lime, orange-brings a bold front of tropical-leaning tartness. It's accompanied by touches of vanilla-laden oak and almond, some sturdying structure courtesy of the beer's ten-plus months spent aging inside oak barrels. There's brilliant structure here, tons of citrus landing immediately, but also a whole lot more beyond that. Welcome funk and salinity are present right alongside the core lemon, and this entire beer has a fresh-squeezed vibe to it. There's definitely a slant of Mai-Tai-ness, but this beer's totally its own thing.

2017 Noel de Calabaza

Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales – Dexter, Michigan

Style: Oak-Aged Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale

ABV: 9%

Serving Temp: 45-52° F

Suggested Glassware: Tulip, Teku, Snifter, or Pinot Glass

Of all the various different Jolly Pumpkin one-off releases and special vintages we tasted through to put together this special offer, this was the one that was tasting at its absolute best. We've had this beer on more than a few lucky occasions, but this is just stellar right now. At a hefty 9% and a quite darker profile than the other three, this seems like the ideal nightcap of the group. There's vibrant core Jolly Pumpkin character, beautifully integrated darker malts, and pinpoint texture that still keeps this in the same refreshing league as the others. Noel de Calabaza had been an annual seasonal for Jolly Pumpkin for years, but the increased collab schedule has made it tough to fit in consistently. Aside from a small 375mL bottling earlier this year, another full vintage of Noel de Calabaza isn't slotted until 2019.

The 2017 Noel de Calabaza pours a dense, dark brown-sugar color, capped by a light-tan head. There's familiar haze, and excellent lacing around the perimeter of the glass. A refreshing, vibrantly tart citrus, that core Jolly Pumpkin character, comes through with a potent jolt, supported by warming spice and dried dark fruits. This is quite smooth, with subtle notes of cocoa and non-bitter dark chocolate. It's citrus first, highly expressive, and the dark malt presence provides undertones that make this a very distinct beer in the group.

This still disappears, even at 9%. It's anchored by its bold tart citruses, paired with emergent dried dark fruits and subtle spice. The core focus is zesty grapefruit and lemon, coupled with that Jolly Pumpkin funk and salinity, but the dark-malt quality does great work here, offering up notes of brown sugar, dates, and sweet figs. This, of the four Jolly Pumpkin beer releases in this Rare Beer Club special offer, particularly rewards a bit of patience for letting it warm up. There's rich cocoa present, subtle roast, and even a smooth oaky vanilla note from those six months of barrel time. It's one of our favorites for sharing over the holidays.